he Said She Said
by ainsleyhayes
Summary: She was the absolute last person he had expected to hear from tonight. He’d been trying so hard to push her out of mind, out of sight, but here she was, soft, stammering voice filling his living room. Spoilers for Cocktails.


**he Said She Said**

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Seriously, Office dudes. It's my birthday. Don't sue me on my **birthday, **please. That is just not kosher.

Author's Note: So... first finished Office fic of mine. This is just something I couldn't get out of my head after "Cocktails"... so there _are _spoilers for that entire episode. It's unbetaed, so if you catch any mistakes in grammar or tenses, please don't hesitate to let me know. Story title taken from Joe Purdy's amazing song _he Said She Said_ off of his CD StompinGroundsThanks very much for reading. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

It's late, and he's tired. The party had been exhausting, and he wants nothing more than to collapse into his bed and let sleep overtake him. So when he checks his answering machine out of habit and sees the blinking red light, he groans. Sighing, he presses play and is greeted with a mechanical voice telling him about his two new messages._Jim… It's me, Pam… um… I need… you should…_

She was the absolute last person he had expected to hear from tonight. He'd been trying so hard to push her out of mind, out of sight, but here she was, soft, stammering voice filling his living room. He can sense the change in her, and suddenly her voice comes through more resolute and firm than he's heard from her in a long time.

_Jim, something happened tonight that you need to know about. Call me when you get this message. I have a feeling that I won't sleep tonight, so just… whatever the time, call me, Jim. Please._

Worry, confusion, and a slow build of fear fill his head at the tone of her voice, eerily calm but still somewhat desperate. A deep exhale precedes the click of the phone hanging up, and he finds he is unable to move from his spot on the floor, rooted in place. The next message begins to play, and he doesn't pay it much attention until he hears the alert, crisp tone of the caller.

_Hello, Jim? This is Angela… Angela Martin… from Dunder Mifflin. I'm aware that this isn't my place to interfere, and I wouldn't usually make such a call to a man I barely know at the late hour. But this evening, some of the employees went out to Poor Richard's. Pam came along, and Roy eventually met her there as well. She was happy._

He nearly turns the machine off, not needing to hear this, but he knows that whatever happened must have been serious if it prompted a late-night telephone call from Angela. So he listens as she continues, taking a deep breath, and he can almost hear her debating the moral ramifications of this call in her head.

_Then she was sitting at the bar with Roy, she said something to him, and he went mad. He threw his glass at the wall. It was frightening._

He has to steel himself, fists clenching, an overwhelming urge to protect Pam surging through him. He's ready to run out the door when he hears the change in Angela's voice.

_Jim, while you were gone Pam was a friend to me. I may not be as brazen as she is, or as… loose with emotion, but I'm smart enough to recognize a friend when I come by one. It isn't often. That is why I'm calling you. I didn't know if she would tell you… and you needed to know. Good night, Jim. God bless._

It was the most sincere moment Jim had ever experienced from the usually cold accountant. In fact, in all of the years he's worked with her, he has never heard her speak as many words as this. He says a silent prayer of thanks, then grabs his keys and heads for the door.

* * *

She sits on her front stoop, eyes focused on the crack in the walk in front of her. She has her phone in her lap and absentmindedly traces the keys, drawing invisible patterns as she waits for… something. Waits for anything.

In the corner of her eye, she sees a pair of headlights turn onto her street and pull to a stop in front of her lawn. Her eyes don't falter, but she can sense that it's Jim without looking up. She feels rather than hears his approach, feels him before she sees him. They are both silent as he advances, and when he sits next to her, she still doesn't move her eyes from their focus on the ground.

The breeze is refreshing, but cool, so she takes in the warmth of his long body, letting his presence relax her. They are barely touching, but the contact is more than she's had from him in weeks; she lets out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding, knowing that she should say something, explain her message, but she can't bring herself to interrupt the utter calm that is resting around them. The brave new Pam is still under the surface, so she closes her eyes and rests her head down on his shoulder, feeling the small smile cross his features.

"Pam."

Jim's voice is quiet but so full of emotion, calm but so telling. His tone is soothing, gentle, like he's afraid she might run if he pushes her too far. "What happened at the bar tonight?"

She's surprised that he knows this much – she had been intentionally vague in her message – but she doesn't let her face betray her confusion. "I told Roy that I kissed you."

He pulls away slightly to look down at her, and she meets his eyes for the first time in what feels like so long. She can tell that he's surprised at how direct she's being, that he was expecting a need for persuasion.

It makes her smile. "I'm sick of this dance we've been doing, Jim. I'm sick of lying all the time." The smile fades from her face as she continues, but her voice is strong. "I wanted to clear the air, have a real honest fresh start. I told him that you had feelings for me, and I had feelings for you, and we kissed. He didn't take it very well."

The predatory look in his eyes makes a slow burn catch inside of her stomach. "Pam, what did he do?" The husky, low growl of his voice makes her mouth go dry, and she can't bring herself to tear her eyes from his.

"He yelled. I suppose he had the right to… I was _engaged_ to him, and I kissed you back. Forget that I wanted you, that it felt right to finally kiss you… it wasn't. Not like that. It wasn't fair to Roy." With a sad smile, she breaks the intense stare. "It wasn't fair to you, either."

He grips her chin and makes her look at him. "Pam, you didn't call me because Roy yelled at you. Angela Martin didn't call me simply because Roy yelled at you."

"Angela?"

He almost smiles, as if he's recalling the message in his head. "She was concerned about you. She considers you a friend." The grin is real as he says, "She must, if she was willing to call a man like me at late hours of the night on the telephone."

Pam smiles back, laughing softly. "A man like you," she exhales. "Roy threw his glass against the wall. Among other things." She shakes her head, remembering. "I left, told him that we were done. I could hear other things being broken as I left. I should give poor Richard a call tomorrow…"

His hand is on her cheek, gently entreating her to look at him. "Pam, it isn't your responsibility. It… Roy isn't your responsibility. Roy is responsible for himself, for his own actions. We're all responsible for our own actions." His eyes grow incredibly dark as his hand slips back toward your hair. His voice is lower, and she is struck by the sheer intensity of it. "We have to take control of our own lives."

"Jim…"

"Pam, what do you want?" he asks, leaning closer, closer, until she can feel his breath on her skin. "You let other people dictate your life for so long… what do _you_ want, Pam?"

Her breath hitches in her throat, her forehead moving the slight distance to rest against his. "Jim… you have Karen." It kills her to say, but she's been trying to be honest lately, trying to do the right thing. "I can't do that to someone else. She's – "

The sudden press of his lips to her own shocks her even more than it had on Casino Night. When his other hand comes up to tangle in her hair, she feels like she can't breathe, but when he pulls away, it _hurts_ her, making her ache for his touch again.

"Karen and I aren't together anymore," he exhales, resting his forehead against hers, his hands caressing her skin. "I stopped there before I came here, but it's been a long time coming. We talked, and I just…"

This time, she shocks him, pulling him to her, kissing her with a passion she's sure she has never felt before. Her hands entwine in the hair at the nape of his neck, playing with the flipped ends that she's stared at so intently for the past few months. They're still sitting on her front step, a fact that is becoming more obvious as the night progresses, but now that she has him, she can't stop kissing him, running her hands through his hair like she's dreamed of so many times before.

And it's better than anything she had ever imagined.

* * *

He feels the shiver run through her; he caresses the goose bumps that have crept up her arms at the cold night air. When he musters up the willpower to pull away from her, to catch his breath, to just look at her, he doesn't expect her to respond by refusing to let him go. Jim can't help but smile against her mouth, forcing himself to put some distance between them. "Pam, you're freezing. We should go inside." He still has the grin on his face as he takes her in, hair wild from his hands, face flushed, and eyes glassy.

"I love you."

It stops him cold. He can't speak, so he just looks down at her, stunned, but so, so hopeful. "Jim, I'm in love with you." Each word is deliberate, and she is looking him right in the eye. "You asked me what I want? I know, Jim. I've known for a long time, but I've been so afraid to let go."

He closes his eyes, and when he opens them again he is amazed to find that this isn't a dream, that she really is here in front of him, eyes wide and brimming with emotion. "What do you want, Pam?"

She kisses him, hard, then stands up and holds a hand out to him. When he is standing, so tall above her, looking down at her, she confidently meets his gaze.

"I want you."

And she smiles.

fin


End file.
